Friday 4 August 2017

Cyrano De Bergerac: A Sweet Smile From Hubby...

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to promote anything, just wanted to share a sweet gift Hubby bought me x

Hi Honeys,
Hubby did it again, bless him!  Do you remember he recently surprised me with one of my favourite movies on DVD?  It was Breakfast at Tiffany's which I'd previously had a copy of many (many) moons ago on vhs.... yes, I'm that old 😊 but somehow hadn't ever gotten around to replacing it on dvd.

Well, honeys, Hubby appeared with a smile and this......

Cyrano De Bergerac DVD - a sweet gift from Hubby x

There aren't enough words in the whole world to describe how much I adore this movie!  I (still) have a much (really, really, much) loved copy on vhs which I've watched so many times over the years it started to have lines show across the movie.

Every cell of this wonderful movie is golden honeys, every second is simply glorious. I've had a long, long term (albeit one sided since I've never met the man!) love affair with the star Gerard Depardieu and this movie, among a sea of fabulous performances, has to be among his finest.

Every time I watch it, it breaks my heart all over again.  I always cry at the end... a lot.

For anyone who hasn't seen this gorgeous, fabulous movie (or read the book or seen any of the other versions) The story is set in Paris in 1640.  Cyrano is a soldier and a poet.  He is fearless in battle, with a brilliant mind and is irresistibly charismatic, Cyrano is also in love with his beautiful, intelligent cousin, Roxanne.

Cyrano is held back from professing his undying love to Roxanne by his embarrassment over his appearance.  He was born with a large and prominent nose. How could his perfect Roxanne return his love when he looks as he does?  Self doubt costs him his chance of happiness.

While attending the theatre one evening Roxanne catches sight of Christian, he is young and very beautiful and Roxanne feels an immediate attraction to him.  She learns that Christian is to join Cyrano's Company of Guards and begs Cyrano to protect him.  Cyrano loves her so much that her happiness is everything to him and so he agrees.

***Spoiler Alert*** 




Christian is at first thrilled when he learns that Roxanne looks favourably on him but quickly becomes distraught when he realizes she is an intellectual whereas he is uneducated, moreover he has no poetry in his soul with which to woo her.

Cyrano sees an opportunity to share his true feelings with Roxanne, by allowing Christian to take the credit for the glorious love letters he writes for him to send to Roxanne. To his mind, in this way he can say everything he has always longed to say to his beloved Roxanne even though she would never know the beautiful words were his.

Cyrano believes he's granting his dear cousin's wish, by making the man she loves appear worthy of her, by helping Christian appear intelligent and soulful he will make her happy.  Her happiness means so much more to dear Cyrano than his own that he's willing to bear the pain of unrequited love for her.

Cyrano's plan works, Roxanne is swept off her feet by his beautiful letters and tells Cyrano that she believes Christian is the most wonderful poet in the world.  Christian is emboldened by the success of the letters and tells Cyrano he doesn't want his help any longer and wants instead to woo Roxanne on his own.  He tries to speak seductively to her and, of course, fails miserably.

Roxanne is confused and angry.  How could the man who has stolen her heart speak like such a dolt when he is capable of writing letters which take her breath away?  She storms into her home.  Cyrano thinks quickly and tells Christian to stand under her balcony and call to her and to then repeat what he says while he remains hidden under the balcony itself.

Christian agrees and with Cyrano's heartfelt words she is won over again. Roxanne and Christian are secretly married but their happiness is very short lived.  The powerful man who had originally planned to marry Roxanne, a man called De Guiche, is beyond angry that Roxanne has married someone else, and he arranges that the Company of Cadets, Cyrano & Christian's Company, is sent to the front line of battle in the war between France and Spain.

Every single day Cyrano writes to his beloved Roxanne, signing the letters from Christian and one day Roxanne appears in a coach.  She's brought food for all of the near starved soldiers and longs to see her Christian.  Christian discovers Cyrano's true feelings for Roxanne (did he really just figure it out honeys, I mean after all those letters so full of love and passion? Not the brightest crayon in the box is old Christian huh?)

Christian insists that Cyrano tell Roxanne everything and let her choose between them and Cyrano is about to tell her when a shot is fired and Christian is killed.  Roxanne faints and is carried away and Cyrano runs into battle .

The story jumps forward fifteen years.  Cyrano visits Roxanne every week, on the same day, at the convent where she has been living.  Over the years Cyrano has made so many enemies and they constantly plot against him.  On the way to his weekly visit with Roxanne Cyrano is ambushed.  A large heavy log is dropped from a high window and injures Cyrano critically.

He is warned to stay in bed or he will surely die but he cannot bring himself to miss his weekly audience with Roxanne.  She is his reason for living.  He goes to visit as planned, hiding the intense pain he's suffering from his injuries from her.  As it starts to get dark, Cyrano asks if he can read Christian's last letter to Roxanne, she agrees and he reads it aloud.

When it becomes too dark to see clearly what he is reading he continues reading, dropping the page down and reading from memory instead.  Roxanne realizes she is looking at the soul she fell in love with (well duh girl! really!) Just then, Cyrano's two friends rush in, worried.  They say by leaving his bed he has condemned himself to death and Roxanne rushes over to him and tells him she loves him and that he cannot die.

Cyrano removes his hat, showing the heavy bandages underneath, and smiles before collapsing and dying with Roxanne leaning over him and kissing his face.  

OK, tell me that isn't a tale worth crying over honeys?  Of all the versions though, this one, directed by Jean Paul Rappeneau,  it was also co-adapted by Rappeneau (with Jean Claude Carriere) and starring the magnificent Gerard Depardieu is the finest.  It is heartbreaking and from start to finish an absolute joy to watch.  Honestly I can't recommend it highly enough 💖💖💖💖  

This is the trailer but it doesn't do the movie justice....


If you get the chance to see it, do honeys, you won't regret it.  It is filmed in french and has english subtitles, runs a little over two hours and is a joy to the senses 😊

Do I have the sweetest Hubby in the world? Thank you sweetheart, I love my new dvd such a lot, love you xx   What are your favourite movies honeys?  Have you been watching anything lately you'd recommend? Have you ever seen Cyrano?

Well, I have to dash, have to get organized for work.  Whatever you're doing this weekend, have fun, smile lots and hug even more.  Till next time dear ones, huggles always xx

Huggles Always, Rosie xx

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